Joachim Heinrich Campe

His support for his teacher Wilhelm Abraham Teller, whose ideas on an enlightened Christianity were criticised by orthodox theologians, cost Campe his scholarship.

[2] He then left Helmstedt and continued his studies of theology in Halle, where he went to lectures of another critical theologian, Johann Salomo Semler.

After being a preacher in Potsdam in 1773 and having been given the task of creating an education programme for the Prussian crown prince, he returned to Tegel and briefly tutored Alexander and Wilhelm von Humboldt,[4] who both stayed in contact with him afterwards.

Because of a disagreement, Campe left before a year was up and went to Hamburg, where he started his own teaching institute based on a family model.

[6] After four years Campe handed his teaching institute over to Ernst Christian Trapp to dedicate more of his time to writing.

Campe witnessed the session of the assemblée nationale during which a majority verdict withdrew the privileges from the aristocratic and clerical estates.

[11] He created a series of works for children and adolescents that were each supposed to be educational, pleasant and directed at a specific age group.